Adjustable support



Patented Aug. 24, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-352) In removing wheel and axle nuts from heavy trucks and busses, it is customary to use a socket wrench with its shank disposed horizontally, the outer end of said shank being provided with a leverfor rotating it. As the nuts are frequently extremelytight, the mechanic experiences great difiiculty in supporting the outer end of the shank against depression and at the same time, operating the lever to rotate said shank. It is the principal object of my invention, however, to provide a simple, inexpensive, and easily adjusted support for rotatably supporting the outer end of the wrench shank at any required elevation.

In carrying out the above end, a bearing for the wrench shank is rigidly secured to a slide which is mounted on a supporting standard for movement vertically to any required position, and a further object of the invention is to provide simple, easily operated, and highly effective means for rigidly clamping the slide to the standard, and the novel clamping structure devised primarily for this purpose, is not necessarily restricted to use in a wrench shank support, but is readily usable also for connecting a slide with any other supporting member. whether the latter be vertical, inclined or horizontal.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a side elevation showing the manner of using the invention to support the outer end of a wrench shank while the wrench is being used to remove an axle nut.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the slide mounted on an overhead pole for supporting one end of a hammock, the view besimply illustrative of one of many of the other uses wh ch the invention may have.

In Fig. l. I have shown a socket ti on the inner end of a shank ii. engaged with an axle nut l for the purpose of removing the latter. the outer end of said shank having a suitable lever 8 for rotating it. I provide an upwardly open bearing s for temporary engagement with the outer end of the shank 6 for rotatably supporting it, and provide novel means for holding said bearing at any desired elevation. Thus, without having to hold the outer end of the shank against depression, the mechanic may readily operate the lever 8 to remove the nut with much greater ease than heretofore. The invention may also be used to equal advantage when re-applying the nut.

The bearing 9 is integral with or otherwise rigidly secured to a slide II! which is vertically adjustable along a standard H, said standard having a suitable base 12 at its lower end and being preferably provided with a collar or the like is at its upper end, said collar or the like preventing accidental sliding of the slide it) from the standard. a

The slide it! comprises two laterally spaced, parallel side plates l4 and a bight portion l5 integrally connected to one edge of said side plates, the other edges of these plates being free. Loosely mounted between the side plates I4 is a shoe is which is movable toward and from the bight portion is to either grip or release the standard H, and an eccentric I1 is mounted between said side plates M to abut the shoe l6 for moving it into clamping position, and for releasing it, said eccentric having an operating handle l8 projecting beyond the free edges of said plates M.

The shoe is is preferably in the form of an elongated, inherently rigid block having a slot l3 through its upper end portion to receive a bolt 29 which extends through the side plates 14 to loosely suspend said block for the necessary movements and to permit quick and easy removal of said block. The eccentric H is mounted on a bolt 2.! allowing it to be quickly and easily removed. Removal of this eccentric and the shoe it, permits lateral engagement of the slide I!) with the standard I! or with any other supporting member, and this is often of advantage as it is not always possible to move the slide longitudinally on to the supporting member.

I have shown two set screws 22 threaded adjustably through the bight portion IE to abut one side of the standard or other supporting member H, and have also shown two set screws .13 threaded adjustably through the shoe E6 to abut the opposite side of said standard or the like. By thus restricting the area of grip of the clamp on the standard or the like, tighter clamping may be effected, particularly should there be any accumulation of grease or dirt which would otherwise interfere with tight gripping. Also, the set screws 22 and 23 permit adjustment of the clamping means for effecting engagement with standards or the like of relatively smaller diameters than that shown. Lock nuts 24 are provided for the set screws 22 and other lock nuts 25 for the set screws 23.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that a novel and advantageous structure has been provided for supporting the outer end of a socket wrench shank, or for numerous other purposes. As simply illustrative of another of the various uses of the improved clamping means of the invention, I have included Figure 4 in the drawing, which View shows one of the slides l mounted adjustably on an overhead pole I I a for supporting one end of a hammock 26.

While preferences have been disclosed, attention is invited to the possibility of makingvariations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A device for supporting the outer end: of a horizontally positioned socket wrench shank while rotating said shank for nut removal or application, comprising a standard having a base,.a slide embracing said standard, said slide having two spaced parallel vertical side plates, a bi'ght portion integral with one vertical edge of said side plates, and an upwardly open U-shaped bearing integral with the upper end of said bight portion, said bearing being adapted to temporarily receive and to rotatably support said shank in a horizontal position, and means between said side plates and engageable with said standard for holding said slide in vertically adjusted position.

2. An adjustable support comprising a slide having'two spaced parallel'vertical side plates and a bight portion integral with one vertical edge of said side plates and extending from the upper to the lower ends thereof, the other vertical edge of each of said side plates being free, a vertically elongated block disposed slidabl'y between said side plates and extending substantially from the upper to the lower ends thereof, said block being spaced inwardly from said bight portion for coacti'on with the latter in frictionally gripping a vertical supporting member, the upper end of said block having a slot extending from one of said side plates to the other, a, block-suspending bolt extending loosely through said slot and extending also through the upper ends of said side plates, whereby said block is loosely suspended for movement toward and from said bight portion, and an eccentric mounted between said side plates and located between the upper and lower ends thereof, said eccentric contacting with the side ofsai'd block remote from said bight portion for forcing said block toward said bight portion and having an operating handle projecting beyonch said. free vertical edges of said side plates.

3. A structure as specified in claim 2; together with upper and lower set screws threaded inwardly through the upper and lower ends of said bight portion to contact with one side of said supporting. member, other upper and lower set screws threaded through the upper and lower ends of said.- block to contact with the other side of said supporting member, and lock nuts on all of said set; screws, whereby said set screws may be initially adjusted according to the size of the standam and then looked in adjusted position.

AUSTIN F. TEIGEN.

REFERENCES. CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES. PATENTS Number Name Date 515,337 I-Iostler Feb. 27, 1894 1,692,152 Bosco Nov. 20, 1928 1,750,663 Dart Mar. 18, 1930 1,930,598 Scott Oct. 17, 1933 2,269,903 Cox Jan. 13, 1942 

